Collegial Colleagues

The vast majority of technology professionals feel stressed at work, according to a recent survey from Spiceworks. The accompanying report, "Who Is the IT Pro?" presents a variety of findings about tech employees, including their education, earnings and the number of vacation days they get. The report also includes some interesting revelations. For example, a surprising number of IT pros never intended to pursue their current career but are now committed to staying in the tech field. Many of them don't have a college degree. Tech workers at large companies make more money and earn more days off. The findings also reveal gender imbalances, as male tech pros make significantly more than their female counterparts, even though the women are more likely to have a college degree. "Although the gender pay gap may be smaller in IT than in other industries, it still exists and needs to be addressed," said Peter Tsai, senior technology analyst at Spiceworks. "In the era of technology dependence and heightened security breaches, prioritizing all tech talent, regardless of gender, is more important than ever. But in order to attract and retain top tech workers, employers must compensate IT professionals based on their skill sets and experience without bias." More than 600 U.S. IT managers, network and system administrators, and help desk technicians took part in the research.